Corner stay and stacking guide



May 20, 1941. P. N. CURTIS CORNER STAY AND STACKING GUIDE Filed Dec. 20,1937 Patented May 20, 1941 CORNER, STAY AND STACKING GUIDE Philip N.Curtis, Worcester, Mass, assignor to Baker Box Company, Worcester, Mass,a corporation of Massachusetts Application December 20, 1937, Serial No.180,810

(Cl. 2l769) 7 Claims.

This invention relates to milk bottle crates and to similar structureswhich are subject to rough usage and which are commonly stacked oneabove another, both when in use and when in storage.

It is the general object of my invention to provide an improvedconstruction of corner stay and stacking guide, which may beeconomically manufactured and which is particularly well adapted to itsintended purposes.

A further object of the invention is to provide improved means toprotect the upper edges of the crate from wear and also to provide meansto reenforce the stacking guide extension, thereby permitting use oflighter metal in the stay member and at the same time providingincreased strength.

My invention further relates to arrangements and combinations of partswhich will be hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out inthe appended claims.

Preferred forms of the invention are shown in the drawing, in which Fig,l is a plan view of' a corner portion of a crate having my improvementsapplied thereto;

Fig. 2 is a partial side elevation, looking in the direction of thearrow 2 in Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a side elevation of my improved corner stay and stackingguide, partly in section;

Fig. 4 is a plan view, looking in the direction of the arrow 4 in Fig.3;

Fig. 5 is a partial side elevation of the corner stay with thereenforced bars omitted;

Fig. 6 is a perspective View of one of the reenforcing bars;

Fig. 7 is a plan view of adouble reenforcing member;

Fig. 8 is a View similar to Fig. 1 but showing the double reenforcingmember in use; and

Fig. 9 is a perspective view of said double member.

Referring to the drawing, I have shown my invention associated withportions of a crate comprising an end Ill and a side ll meeting to forma crate corner.

My improved corner stay and stacking guide includes an inner stay memberl2 formed of sheet metal and having itslower portion of angular crosssection which fits snugly within the corner of the crate.

At its upper end, the stay member I2 is offset inwardly to form astacking guide l5, adapted to laterally position a second crate mountedthereon. The stay member I2 is also provided with slots 11 through whichreenforcing bars 20 are inserted.

Each bar 20 is formed from flat stock and comprises a portion 2| adaptedto overlie the upper edge of a crate end Ill or side H, and a downwardextension 22 fitting in a groove 23 in the associated crate side or end.The extensions 22 are enclosed and secured by an outer corner piece 25,preferably secured in position by rivets 2B which extend through theside or end of the crate and which also secure the inner stay member I2in position.

The upper inner end portions 21 of the bars 20 are preferably wider thanthe slots IT, to prevent outward displacement of the bars 23, and areshaped to extend upward inside of the stacking guide [5 and to abut andsnugly engage the outer side walls thereof, as clearly shown in Figs. 3and 4.

In the use of stacking guides on bottle crates, it has been found thatthese guides frequently receive severe transverse blows, which conditionhas made it necessary to use relatively heavy stock for corner staymembers, in order that the stacking guide extensions may be stiff enoughto withstand the rough treatment to which they are subjected.

When using my improved reenforcing bars, the portions 21 thereofstrongly support the stacking guide extensions and resist lateraldisplacement thereof. Consequently, lighter sheet metal may be used forthe corner stay members, while at the same time the stacking guide isreenforced and is actually stronger than in the previous construction inwhich heavier metal was used.

Furthermore, the portions 2| overlying the upper edges of the crateresist wear on the wood parts, and the downward extensions 22 secured bythe corner piece 25 firmly resist inward displacement of the reenforcingbars 20. These reenforcing bars, being relatively small, may be made ofheavier stock, so that any desired reenforcement may be provided.

In Figs. 7 to 9, I have shown a double reenforcing member 30 so shapedthat, when bent to the form indicated in Fig. 9, the connecting portion3| will form a right angle and the oiTset portions 32 and dependingportions 33 will all be par allel. These parallel parts 3| and 32 may beinserted through a pair of slots in the corner stay member as previouslydescribed, it being merely necessary to make the slots a little deeperto accommodate the angle between the parts 32 and 33. The connectingportion 3|, being unitary and bent to a right angle as shown in Figs. 8and 9, even more effectively reenforces the stacking guide extension15*.

Having thus described my invention and the advantages thereof, I do notwish to be limited to the details herein disclosed, otherwise than asset forth in the claims, but what I claim is:

1. In a bottle crate, a corner reenforcement comprising a verticallydisposed outer corner piece engaging the outer vertical surfaces of saidcrate at both sides of a corner edge, a vertically disposed inner staymember of angular cross section secured in a vertical inner corner ofsaid crate and engaging the inner vertical surfaces of said crate atboth sides of said corner angle and inwardly opposite said outer cornerpiece and having a stacking guide extension at its, upper end and slotsin its side walls near said upper end, and additional reenforcing meansseated in said slots and having portions secured outside said crate andbetween said crate and said outer corner piece, the upper end portionsof said reenforcing means extending upward inside the stacking guideextension of said inner stay member and abutting and supporting saidextension against inward lateral displacement.

2. In a bottle crate, a corner reenforcement comprising a verticallydisposed outer corner piece engaging the outer vertical surfaces of saidcrate at both sides of a corner edge, a vertically disposed. inner staymember of angular cross section secured in a vertical inner corner ofsaid crate and engaging the inner vertical surfaces of said crate atboth sides of said corner angle and inwardly opposite said outer cornerpiece and having a stacking guide extension at its upper end and slotsin its side walls near said upper end, additional reenforcing meansseated in said slots and having portions lying across the upper edges ofsaid crate, with downward extensions seated in grooves in the outersurfaces of said crate side and end, and within said outer corner pieceand means to secure said extensions in said grooves, and the upper endportions of said reenforcing means extending upward inside the stackingguide extension of said inner stay member and abutting and. supportingsaid extension against inward lateral displacement.

3. In a bottle crate, a corner reenforcement comprising a verticallydisposed inner corner stay member of angular cross section secured in avertical inner corner of said crate and engaging the inner verticalsurfaces of said crate at both sides of said corner angle and having astacking guide extension at its upper end and slots in its side wallsnear said upper end, and a pair of reenforcing bars additional tosaidstay member and each extending outward through one of said slots andsecured outside said crate, the inner ends of said bars extending upwardinside of the stacking guide of said inner stay member extension andreenforcing said extension against inward lateral displacement.

4. In a bottle crate, a corner reenforcement comprising a verticallydisposed inner corner stay member of angular cross section secured in avertical inner corner of said crate and engaging the inner verticalsurfaces of said crate at both sides of said corner angle and having astacking guide extension at its upper end and slots in its side wallsnear said upper end, a pair of reenforcing bars additional to said staymember and each extending outward through one of said slots and having aportion overlying an upper edge of said crate and having a downwardextension of said portion outside said crate, and means to hold saidbars in reenforcing position, the inner upper ends of said bars fittingand abutting the inside of the stacking guide of said inner stay memberextension and supporting said extension against inward lateraldisplacement.

5. In a bottle crate, a corner reenforcement comprising a verticallydisposed inner corner stay member of angular cross section secured in avertical inner corner of said crate and engaging the inner verticalsurfaces of said crate at both sides of said corner angle and having astacking guide extension at its upper end and slots in its side wallsnear said upper end, and an additional double reenforcing member havingtwo integral leg portions each insertable through one of said slots andsecured outside said crate, and said reenforcing member having an innerconnecting portion extended upward inside of the stacking guide of saidinner stay member extension and supporting said extension against inwardlateral displacement.

6. In a bottle crate, a corner reenforcement comprising a verticallydisposed inner corner stay member of angular cross section secured in avertical inner corner of said crate and engaging the inner verticalsurfaces of said crate at both sides of said corner angle and having astacking guide extension at its upper end and slots in its side wallsnear said upper end, and an additional double reenforcing member havingtwo integral leg portions each insertable through one of said slots andsecured outside said crate, and said reenforcing member having an innerconnecting portion bent to a right angle and extended upward inside ofthe stacking guide of said inner stay member extension and supportingsaid extension against inward lateral displacement.

'7. In a bottle crate, a corner reenforcement comprising a verticallydisposed inner corner stay member of angular'cross section secured in avertical inner corner of said crate and engaging the inner verticalsurfaces of said crate at both sides of said corner angle and having astacking guide extension at its upper end and slots in its side wallsnear said upper end, and an additional double reenforcing member madefrom a fiat blank and having two integral leg portions each insertablethrough one of said slots and bent downward and secured outside saidcrate, said leg portions being parallel in the blank and also in securedposition, and said reenforcing member having an inner connecting portionbent to a right angle and extended upward inside of the stacking guideof said inner stay member extension and supporting said extensionagainst inward lateral displacement.

PHILIP N. CURTIS.

